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Juliette was pretty sure her day had just gotten even worse. As if losing a project she could almost touch with her fingertips wasn’t enough, now her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend were here to make her life miserable.

She couldn’t even pretend to smile at their unexpected appearance. “Well, look who decided to finally say hello.”

Jolene laughed, that annoying high-pitched voice that almost threatened to make Juliette’s ears bleed. She looped her arm through Tanner’s, as if to silently remind her of the betrayal they both dealt her on the same night she met that handsome stranger who saved her life.

“Oh, come on, Jules. We always stop by to say hello. It’s just you who’s never happy to see us.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly a lie. Juliette had never been good at hiding her emotions. She was like an open book, and anyone with eyes could read her.

But she wasn’t going to get into that. It would be a long conversation. “Oh well, maybe it’s your face. It doesn’t exactly scream happily ever after.”

“What the hell do you mean!?” It wasn’t difficult to piss Jolene off. Say the right words, and she was blazing.

Juliette tried not to scoff out a chuckle. “Nothing. Nothing your little brain can understand. But that’s alright. Not everyone is capable of everything. Am I right, Cheryl?”

“Yep! Totally,” Cheryl sang, shrugging at them as if she were only stating the truth.

“You…” Jolene hissed, her face growing uglier. “How dare you? Did you forget who I am? If I want, I can crush your silly little business right now. Consider it my generosity that I haven’t done anything like that yet. If I had, you would be forced to beg on the fucking streets.”

Juliette’s jaw tightened, but she kept her cool, staring at Jolene with that same calm indifference she had mastered over time. “Generosity? Is that what we’re calling it now?”

Jolene’s nostrils flared, her grip on Tanner tightening as if she needed to hold on to something before she exploded. “You think I’m joking, Jules? You think you can just talk to me like that?”

“Actually, yes,” Juliette replied, her voice smooth and controlled. “I do. Because unlike you, I don’t have to throw threats around to feel important. And, newsflash, Jolene—if you were going to crush me, you would’ve done it already. So please, spare me the empty promises.”

Cheryl snickered beside her, unable to contain her amusement. Tanner shifted uncomfortably, clearly not expecting things to escalate this quickly. He always hated confrontation, never knew what to do when women started going for the jugular.

Jolene, on the other hand, wasn’t backing down. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? Hiding behind that little attitude of yours. But one day, it’s all going to catch up with you, and when it does, you’ll be alone. Completely alone.”

Juliette’s heart gave a small pang at the words, but she refused to let it show. She squared her shoulders, lifting her chin defiantly. “I’d rather be alone than surrounded by people like you.”

Jolene’s lips parted as if to retort, but nothing came out. She glanced at Tanner, who looked like he wanted to disappear, then back at Juliette, her eyes narrowing.

“Fine,” Jolene spat, yanking her arm out of Tanner’s. “You’ll regret this.”

Juliette didn’t flinch. “We’ll see.”

Without another word, Jolene stormed off, leaving Tanner standing there awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do with himself. He glanced between the two women, then muttered something under his breath before quickly following Jolene to their car.

The moment they were gone, Cheryl burst out laughing, slapping Juliette on the back. “Oh my God, that was priceless! Did you see her face?”

Juliette smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah. Epic, right?”

Cheryl’s laughter died down, and she studied Juliette’s face, her brows knitting together in concern. “Hey, you okay?”

Juliette let out a small sigh. “I’m fine. I’m just… tired of all this, you know?”

Cheryl nodded, giving her a sympathetic look. “Yeah, I get it. But you handled it like a pro.”

Juliette shrugged. “Maybe. But it doesn’t make it any less exhausting.”

Just then, her phone started to buzz in her purse. Letting out another tired sigh, Juliette reached for the phone and answered without even looking at the screen.

“Where the hell are you?” came the loud, almost-yelling voice of her uncle—her dad’s younger brother.

“You were supposed to be here an hour ago. I told you to be on time, didn’t I? For God’s sake, what the hell is wrong with you? Why don’t you kids listen to your elders anymore?”

Juliette rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Uncle. Something came up at work. I—”

“You think I want to hear your excuses? Fuck no. Just get here as soon as possible, or your sick Granny isn’t getting her medicines tonight.”

He disconnected the call right away.

Juliette stared at the screen, dumbfounded. “What the—!?”